The days following the binding of the Elder Void were marked by an eerie stillness that permeated the fortress. Soldiers moved quietly, their footsteps barely echoing against the stone walls. Though the Heartstone's glow persisted in the ritual chamber, its light seemed more fragile now, as if the very air around it trembled with the strain of holding back the darkness.
Elara stood on the battlements, watching as the last rays of sunlight vanished behind the distant mountains. The wind was sharp, carrying the scent of damp earth and the faintest trace of something colder—something alien. Her fingers tightened around the stone railing as her thoughts circled back to the battle they had just won and the greater battle still looming on the horizon.
The Shard of Severance.
